Language



Language 7/8 Literary Devices

1. Literal meaning

- the words are to be taken as a true description of something.

- a summary of what was actually presented.

2. Figurative meaning

- the words are NOT to be taken as the true description of something.

- there is a deeper meaning implied in the words given.

3. Mood

- the feelings created in the reader by the author. (It may increase or decrease throughout a selection.)

4. Tone

- the feelings of the author expressed in his/her writing.

5. Diction

- word choice.

- affects other devices such as mood and characterization.

6. Style

- the way in which an individual expresses and communicates his/her ideas, thoughts and feelings in a piece of writing.

- every author tries to establish their own unique style

(ex. Stephen King has a horror style.)

7. Simile

- a comparison between two things using the words “like” or “as”.

8. Metaphor

- a comparison between two things NOT using the words

“like” or “as”.

- stronger than a simile but harder to use well.

9. Personification

- the process of giving living characteristics to non-living things.

10. Imagery

- language that appeals to the senses.

- five types:

1) Visual/Sight Imagery (* The strongest type)

2) Sound Imagery

3) Taste Imagery

4) Touch Imagery

5) Smell Imagery

11. Conflict

- the struggle between opposing forces.

- three types:

1) External Conflict (Man vs. Nature)

2) Interpersonal Conflict (Man vs. Man)

3) Internal Conflict (Man vs. Himself)

12. Setting

- the time, place, and circumstances in which a story takes place.

- Time: clock time AND calendar time

- Place: local place AND global place

- Circumstances: W-5

13. Suspense

- increased interest in a story leading to the climax. (It may increase or decrease throughout a selection.)

- also called Rising Action.

14. Plot ( and diagram )

- the sequence of events in a story. (The “ABC’s”- “A” happened then “B” happened...)

15. Symbolism

- the process where some object is used to stand for or represent a quality or idea.

16. Character

- a “person” in a play, poem, novel, or short story.

17. Character Sketch

- telling what a character is like.

18. Characterization

- showing what a character is like.

19. Moral

- the underlying message or lesson found within a piece of writing.

20. Theme

- the subject, topic, or main idea in a piece of writing.

- must be written in a theme statement focusing on a theme word.

ex. Theme word = love

Theme = Unconditional love is powerful but may

lead to destruction.

21. Purpose

- the reason for a selection.

ex. To persuade, to incite, to entertain, to convince, to educate, to inform, to empathize...

22. Target Audience

- the intended audience of a selection.

ex. Children under five, working adults, rich people, doctors, high school students...

23. Irony

- the contrast between what appears to be so and what really is.

- the difference between what is said and what is meant.

- * the “opposite” of what is expected.

24. Point of View

- the position from which events are seen, a story is told, or an argument is made.

- two types:

1) First Person Point of View

- the narrator is one of the characters in the story. (I, We, Us)

- * the more personal of the two types of point of view

2) Third Person Point of View

- the narrator is completely outside the story.

(He, She, They)

25. Climax

-the highest point of interest in a story.

- the turning point in the story’s plot.

26. Narrative

- a piece of poetry or prose that tells a story.

27. Main Character

-a character who directly affects the plot of a story.

28. Minor Character

- a character who does not directly affect the plot of a story.

- is more a part of the setting or atmosphere.

- also called a secondary character.

29. Surprise Ending

- a sudden ending to a story, usually right at the Climax.

- usually involves a twist of some kind so that the reader has to change his/her point of view, or attitude toward the story.

30. Stanza

- a paragraph in poetry.

31. Stereotype

- a fixed impression where an individual is looked upon as having the "normal" characteristics of their group, without any room being made for individual differences.

ex. The Grandmother Stereotype= old, wrinkled, weak, gray hair, shaky ...

ex. The Man Stereotype= strong, brave, provides for family, doesn't cry...

32. Comparison

- pointing out the similarities and differences between 2 things/people.

33. Contrast

- pointing out only the differences between 2 things/people.

34. Foreshadowing

- something in a story's plot that gives a hint or clue about what will happen at a later point in time. (A contrary idea to Flashback.) ex. A graveyard mentioned early in a story's setting may hint at the idea of a death that occurs later.

35. Flashback

- the process of reverting back to a previous point in time in order to explain some element of the present plot.

(A contrary idea to Foreshadowing.)

36. Narrator

- the person who is telling a story/poem.

37. Author

- the person who writes a story/poem.

- the author and narrator are not necessarily the same person.

38. Fiction

- prose stories in which the characters and events are wholly or

partially imaginary.

ex. novels

short stories

fables

myths

39. Non-fiction

- a piece of Prose which is based on real things or true events.

40. Biography

- the story of a person's life written by another person.

41. Autobiography

- the story of a person's life written by that person himself/herself.

* Auto = self

42. Poetry

- writing that uses a more concentrated form of language than ordinary speech or Prose.

- words in poems often have a controlled rhythm.

- often arranged in short lines.

- composed of lines and stanzas.

- interpretation of poetry is very individual.

43. Prose

- the usual form of written language in which ideas are expressed

in complete sentences that follow one another in a continuous flow.

-stories are considered Prose.

44. Pseudonym

- a false name used by a writer to disguise their true identity.

- also known as “a pen name” or “un nom de plume”

45. Short Story

- a short piece of prose fiction which usually revolves around a single episode in a character's life.

- usually has only one major turning point, or Climax.

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